More companies lowering bar on degree and experience requirements

Job seekers have faced the frustrating conundrum of needing a job in order to get experience and experience to get the job. Well, not as much anymore.

In the past, job seekers have faced the frustrating conundrum of needing a job in order to get experience, and needing experience in order to get the job. Well, not as much anymore.

For job seekers today in America, the odds are in your favor. In a strong labor market, more companies are dropping their exhaustive requirements and are welcoming candidates with “no experience necessary,” according to a recent Wall Street Journal report, which cited Burning Glass Technologies analysis of 29 million job postings.

More employers lowering expectations

You no longer may need a college degree to get ahead in your career. The Journal cited Burning Glass analysis of 15 million ads on Indeed and Craigslist, which found that the number of job listings asking for a college degree has fallen to 30% from 32% in 2017. One million more jobs, such as being a preschool teacher, warehouse worker, or e-commerce analyst, have opened up to candidates with “no experience necessary” in the last year. The report found that companies like Bank of America and toy maker Hasbro have lowered college requirements of what they are looking for in target candidates.

Why are standards being relaxed? In a strong economy, job seekers are the ones who can get to be choosy about their next job. As Amy Glaser, senior vice president of staffing agency Adecco Group, told the Journal, “If a company requires a degree, two rounds of interviews and a test for hard skills, candidates can go down the street to another employer who will make them an offer that day.”

After the 2008 recession where unemployment was high and desperate candidates were plentiful, employers could be strict about who they chose to hire. Now, job hunting behaviors are showing that employees are now the ones with the upper hand. More job seekers are “ghosting” employers after interviews, confident that they can rudely disappear without notice at one job to get another job. More employees are also quitting their jobs, confident that they could find a new one. Workers in May have quit their jobs at the fastest rate since 2001, according to the Labor Department.